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ACN Disaster Response

ACN Hurricane Katrina Relief
Julie and Cujo, separated by Hurricane
Katrina are ecstatic to be back together.
 
 
 
Animal Compassion Network is well known across the country for our innovative programs and ability to mobilize quickly when needed. ACN has been called upon to assist with both state and national emergencies, and we are proud of our accomplishments for animals in dire need, near and far.
 
 
Our sister rescue, RAP Cancun.
 
 
ACN All Creatures Shutdown
Jackie and Princess
State Shutdown of All Creatures Great and Small 2008: When the state finally succeeded in closing the controversial All Creatures Great and Small facility in Henderson County, NC in February 2008, ACN volunteers responded. Working under the NC Department of Agriculture and with Asheville Humane Society, United Animal Nations/EARS, HSUS, ASPCA, PETsMART Charities, American Humane and various animal care and control agencies, ACN volunteers immediately set to work cleaning the facility and providing the animal victims with basic care and medical assessments and treatments.

ACN accepted 30 cats and dogs from the All Creatures Great and Small shutdown into foster care. (A special thanks goes to Gina Phairus for donating her professional behavior assessment services to qualify dogs for ACN foster homes.) While many of these cats and dogs have already found their forever homes, a few are still looking. Read our pet descriptions to see who is still available from the All Creatures operation »

Hurricane Katrina 2005: When Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast in fall 2005, ACN volunteers rushed to both Mississippi and Louisiana to help set up animal triage centers and provide care for the animal victims. Other ACN volunteers solicited much-needed pet food and supplies locally and transported them to the disaster area. Soon after, the ASPCA asked if ACN would accept any cats and dogs from the flooded Louisiana animal shelters into our foster homes. Because these were surrendered shelter animals, they had no place to go and no one looking for them; we willingly opened our hearts and foster network to them.

ACN Hurricane Katrina Relief
The Huricane Katrina animals came to ACN by
car, van, and tractor trailer.
A few weeks later, as the triage centers for animal victims overflowed in the disaster area, ACN was asked once again to accept hurricane-displaced cats and dogs into foster care. Our volunteers and the rest of the community rose to the occasion by opening an unprecedented number of new foster homes to accommodate these additional animals, who arrived two days later in an HSUS tractor-trailer truck.
ACN Hurricane Katrina Relief
The intake, evaluations and
compassionate care begins.
With the arrival of each transport from the disaster area, our medical staff and volunteers immediately recorded the intakes, began medical assessments and treatments, and matched animals with appropriate foster homes. For those animals who had not been surrendered, we also initiated reunification efforts using any clues we could find, such as microchips and tags.

When all was said and done, ACN had taken in and aided 115 cats and dogs from the Hurricane Katrina Disaster. We were successful in reuniting a dozen of the displaced cats and dogs with their people back home, and we found loving, responsible adoptive homes for those animals who were not claimed despite our best efforts.

ACN Katrina Rescue
ACN foster Joan Worth reuniting Sugar and her Dad
ACN Hurricane Francis Relief
Hurricane Francis 2004: ACN received a call in the middle of the night that the All Creatures Great and Small facility in Henderson County, NC had flooded after Hurricane Francis and the 700-plus animal victims were literally on the street - stacked in crates, tethered to car bumpers or held on leashes without any place to go. ACN’s volunteer veterinarian responded first and was soon joined by dozens of other ACN volunteers. By week’s end, 80 cats and dogs had been bathed; treated for medical issues; vaccinated, tested and altered; and placed into loving foster homes until adopted.